It was quite a year for Detroit Catholic Central QB Declan Byle. There were a lot of ups and downs during the season, but Byle said he learned a lot from his sophomore experience. “There were a lot of ups and downs this season. We have some great wins against outstanding teams, but we also had a lot of games we lost that we felt were very winnable. I played well at times, and there are other times where I made mistakes. Thankfully, I have time to learn from those mistakes and get better. Our record of 4-5 and not making the playoffs isn’t where we wanted to be. We have a lot of guys coming back next year, and now I have some varsity experience. I think we’re going to have a very good football team in the future,” Byle said.
Byle improved a lot as a quarterback this year and became the starter midway through the season for the Shamrocks. “It was a fun experience,” Byle remarked. “I’m grateful for the opportunity provided. We didn’t get the results we would’ve liked, but we’re working to make 2020 a different outcome,” Byle added.
Byle has played football since he was five years old and has loved the game ever since no matter where he has lived. “Football means a lot to me. So much of my thoughts go toward football. It teaches me a lot. I’ve lived in Minnesota, California, and Michigan. Something consistent with my life is football. It helped me meet kids and create relationships. It’s been a major component of my life,” Byle mentioned.
Declan starts preparing for games immediately after Friday’s game. He breaks down the opponent down to every little detail. “Most of the preparation comes the weekend before by watching the opponents film and breaking down and observing tendencies. The day before, I make sure I eat right and know what I’m doing with the game plan. On the day of the game, I make sure I stay focused throughout the day. When it comes to game time, I’m ready to go,” Byle commented.
Byle has learned a lot from playing football and says that they will be lessons he will keep for the rest of his life. “In the early years of playing football, it taught me how to be a man and how to be tough physically. At a young age, I took pride in being tough. When you get hit, you get back up and do it again. Football showed me how to be tough. Eventually, as I got older, football made me realize how tough mentally I am. Going through situations where you want to give up, or it’d be really easy to quit, but you keep getting up every day and working your butt off. Football doesn’t necessarily build character, but it reveals character. That’s what it has revealed about me,” Byle said.